Sound Check: Emilie Autumn keeps fighting the good fight WITH VIDEO

By GARY GRAFF

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Emilie Autumn's latest album is called "Fight Like a Girl," but the Los Angeles singer, songwriter and performance artist is learning that the guys get it, too.

"I thought I might have to explain myself about that song and (album) title to the gentlemen of the audience, that it's not about the battle of the sexes but about us gaining our power back and not threatening anybody unless you want to fight me," says Autumn (ne Liddell), 33. "But it's been amazing. Nobody has ever challenged that. Nobody has asked me, 'What's the meaning of this?'

"And from the first day, all the boys in the front row have been standing there, screaming 'I fight like a girl!' like bloody murder. It's given me a lot of faith and hope and love for this audience and for men in general. That's been a real life-changer for me."

"Fight Like a Girl" is a portion of a full-on musical Autumn is in the midst of writing, based on her 2010 book "The Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls." She's "about halfway through" writing the production, which is slated to debut on London's West End during late 2014, and Autumn also hopes to bring it to Broadway and spin off a film adaptation.

"I can't even believe I'm talking about it, it's so intense -- How did this even happen, you know?," Autumn, who also appeared in the 2012 film "The Devil's Carnival" and is cast in its sequel, says with a laugh. "It's overwhelming to realize that whatever the journey is that it took to get you from the beginning to where you are now is far greater than from where you are now to your ultimate fantasy dream at the end of it. Nothing can be more difficult than what we've already been through, what it took to get this far, so that's something encouraging to think about.

"That's one of the fruits of our survival; the hard part is done, we've lived through it, so now let's get out there and finish it."